an and we begin, now, with a breaking news story on this friday morning. >> a tsunami sweeps across japan after a massive earthquake. one of the largest in years. >> tsunami watches triggered across the pacific, including hawaii and the west coast. we have extended coverage, now, from japan and the u.s. good morning, everyone. thanks for being with us on this very busy news day. a major disaster is unfolding in japan, after a megaearthquake hit overnight. >> now, the quake has triggered a tsunami in the northern part of the country. a 13-foot wall of water, washing

away cars, busses, buildings, homes. incredible footage. >> tsunami warnings are postc, in of the pacific, including hawaii, where the coast guard is standing by. a powerful quake was centered around the area of sendai. but it rocked buildings in tokyo, hundreds of miles away. akiko fujita joins us from tokyo this morning. akiko, what is the latest? >> reporter: we are getting new numbers. we now know there are 18 people confirmed dead. that's from our partner out here, nhk. 18 people confirmed dead. and 60 people injured in tokyo alone. keep in mind that tokyo is hours away from the epicenter. 60 people injured in tokyo. we're not getting numbers out of northern japan where the epicenter was. but the numbers expected to be much larger there. 44 fires recorded in 6 prefectures in japan. and the images, just incredible.

we just saw, as we were tracking our partner, nhk, out here, video out of sendai airport. that's a major city near the epicenter. the waves, water, just flooded out there. and tsunami warnings in effect throughout that region. >> akiko, in addition to being our abc correspondent. you lived through this earthquake. you were there at work. this happened in the middle of a work day, on friday afternoon. hitting at 2:36 on friday afternoon. tell us as a firsthand account of living through it what happened. >> reporter: you get a lot of earthquakes out here. you tend to ignore them. i was sitting at my dessing. felt a little shaking but didn't think anything of it. it got stronger and stronger. it lasted quite a long time. and i started to see tapes there starting to fall. and at that point, i knew i had to get under the desk. it lasted a long time. we've been feeling a lot of aftershocks since. they've gotten weaker. but you never get used to all the shaking.

>> and this occurred in the northeastern part of japan, in the miyagi province. tell folks about that area a little bit and why it's economically important. and how many folks, roughly, are in that area of the country. >> reporter: in the entire prefecture, there's more than 2 million people that live there. you can tell from the images where the tsunami waves came in. it's a pretty rural area. there's been a lot of homes that have been washed away. agriculture, certainly a concern, with the economy, going to be very hard-hit. and sendai is a major city in japan. so, you can imagine an earthquake this size hits the area. they will definitely feel the effects in the local economy. >> and talking about tokyo, which, of course, is so densely populated. you are still there working. you're on the sixth floor of your building. when you look at other buildings in tokyo, we heard that people just ran out, mass exodus, from their building. what has been the scene in tokyo? >> reporter: we're actually on the seventh floor.

so, quite a lot of shaking. our office faces a park. we didn't see people running out of buildings. but we did see those images on tv. the good news is japanese people are very used to earthquakes. they know to listen. they're very prepared. once the evacuation orders went into effect, a very orderly process at that point. again, the officials are saying, at least on the coast, to stay away, obviously, until they give the go ahead to return home. and the evacuation order to stay out of buildings, sounds like. >> and just real quick, akiko, before we let you go. in tokyo, you're very used to this. the buildings are built for earthquakes. you're prepared. but what happened other areas of the population? this happened northeast of tokyo. what do you think the situation will be there? just real quick. >> reporter: it's japan. i imagine compared to other countries they were quite prepared. but obviously, a huge quake

this size, you can't be prepared for anything like that. >> sure. >> akiko, thanks for that report. stay safe. and thank you for providing us the last-minute details unfolding there in japan. there's 18 confirmed dead. at least 60 injuries just in tokyo, which was a couple hundred miles away. we won't know the extend of the damage probably for hours. >> as this continues to develop. right now, we want to give you historical perspective. this morning's massive earthquake is one of the powerful recorded there. in fact, only six others were more powerful. >> one was the quake that triggered the indian tsunami in late 2004. a staggering death toll in that tragedy. more than 230,000 people were killed by that tsunami in 14 different countries. that quake was so powerful, it actually triggered other earthquakes as far away as alaska. >> as akiko said, if anybody can

be well-prepared for an earthquake, it is probably japan. used to this sort of thing. due to this location, called the pacific ring of fire. and quakes are pretty much a regular occurrence there. because of this, japan's building codes are some of the most strict in the world. those codes were reformed and strengthened after an earthquake in 1995. that caused major damage in the city of kobe. as you can imagine, we have teams working around the globe on this story. we'll have complete coverage on a special edition of "good morning america" coming up

welcome back, everybody, to "america this morning." as you can see there, we are following a major international story this morning.

overnight, shortly after 1:00 a.m. eastern time, 2:46 p.m. local time in japan, a major earthquake struck the northeastern part of that country and has now triggered a major tsunami that's washing away boats, cars, homes, businesses. the extent of the damage and the death toll is rising at this point. but still unknown, as we begin to finally get glimpses in the coming hours, if not days. the extent of the damage and destruction being done in japan right now. a massive earthquake. the country's strongest, in fact, since 1995. look at that video there. >> unbelievable. these are pictures that are coming. these are new. we've been watching the video of the tsunami wave roll over the miyagi region. that's the city of sendai, populated by 1 million to 2 million people. very populated. very much an economic center for the country of japan. and in the pictures, you're starting to see firsthand some of the devastation we're starting to see for the very first time. so far, confirmed fatalities, 60.

in considering the damage, we're looking at, that number is expected to rise. also, 4 million -- >> there's 18 confirmed deaths. 60 injuries. >> thank you for that. >> the information is just coming in. it is very fluid. i want to point out to folks, as well. this is really an event of international importance here. there's many tsunami warnings and watches up. russia, philippines, indonesia, taiwan, guam, mexico, chile, peru, australia, and also, we s get about the u.s. state of hawaii. there's a warning. the coast guard is on stand by. there could be a tsunami there. 8:00 a.m. eastern time there. they are waiting for that. we are following all of this, trying to digest the information. we'll bring you more, as soon as we come back from break. the sensitivity was caused by my brushing too hard.

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just make sure it's always with sensodyne. i noticed that it was working when i was drinking cold things and i wasn't even thinking about it. the sensodyne definitely helped in those spots. i never thought a toothpaste could fix that problem. [ coughs ] [ growls ] [ coughs, sneezes ] powerful nighttime symptom relief in just one dose. [ both snoring loudly ] [ both snoring loudly ] [ male announcer ] vicks nyquil cold and flu. the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep you ever got with a cold...medicine. ♪ welcome back, everyone. our breaking news this morning. tsunami waves have wreaked havoc, roaring across parts of rural northeastern japan. those waves have followed a massive 8.9 earthquake.

one of the most powerful ever recorded. it was felt some 200 miles away in tokyo, where they are also experiencing a lot of damage. >> incredible pictures as we watch the event unfold overnight. there's also been more than a dozen aftershocks because of all of this. >> one of the aftershocks was so powerful, it was like the quake that did so much damage last month in christchurch, new zealand. and that was just the aftershocks. more details on this from emily schmidt. >> reporter: cameras captured the moment, the earthquake hit, at 2:46 in japan. the nation's lawmakers felt the power of the magnitude 8.9 force. and the cameras rolled here in the sendai newsroom, about 90 miles from the quake. workers evacuated high-rises, where elevators had shut down. they filled the streets and lined up at pay phones because cell communications went down. one woman said, i thought i going to die.

it was enormous. and the aftershocks continued. >> you were just mentioning some of the aftershocks. we're feeling one, as i'm sitting here talking to you. >> reporter: then, came the next wave of destruction. massive tsunami waves. first, one came to shore, rocking boats in its way. pters showed another wave, strong enough to reverse the direction of a river. it swept buildings off their foundations and kept moving. take a look at the cars in the upper part of the screen, rushing to escape the approaching water. television broadcasters underscored the urgency. >> tsunamis don't come in just one set. they come in several. those near the coast, please evacuate immediately. >> reporter: the region had felt several quakes in the past few days. but none like this. this could be one of the largest on record in japan, with the damage still happening. and calls for help just beginning to be seen. right now, there is a tsunami warning for the pacific, that stretches from australia, to

mexico. and it includes hawaii. emily schmidt, abc news. >> all right. and joining us right now, we have dale grant. he's from the u.s. geological survey, out of golden, colorado. dale, we want to find out if you're there on the phone. >> yes, i am. >> thank you so much for joining us here. the first thing we would like to do is give the earthquake some scale. a good point of reference for a lot of folks when they think about tsunamis and earthquakes, 2004, the indonesian tsunami and earthquake there. that was a 9.1 for recall accounts. what do you have to say about this one? >> there were a few particulars about the sumatra quake on december 26th. they were a little different. but this happened in the water. it was shallow. and the energy created what we are now seeing as a very, very strong impact along the coast of japan. most notably near the city of sendai. >> okay. and sendai, we know, faces the pacific.

definitely one of the larger cities in japan. so, what do you think we can be expecting to see in comparison to that indonesian tsunami? >> well, the indonesian tsunami was epic. the one that we're seeing in japan is nowhere near as big. but due to the coastal population along japan, it is going to have just devastating impact, as we have seen from many of the videos that are coming out now. >> and let me ask you this, too. we know that there are tsunami watches and warnings in other parts of the world. countries like russia, mexico, chile, peru, also in the state of hawaii. what are the likelihood that they will feel the ramifications of all of this? >> warnings have been issued for hawaii. and right about now, midway island is experiencing the tsunami coming through there, according to our information. it will be another few hours before it gets to the hawaiian islands. but they have been on alert. and they are evacuating coastal

areas. but as you know, in the hawaiian islands, most of your resorts are, of course, on the coast. >> and will any of these subsequent tsunamis be as destructive as what we're seeing in japan? or only time will tell then? >> time will tell. but generally, proximity is the greatest indicator, how close you are to the earthquake. and the city of sendai, which has over 1 million people, was about 80 miles to the epicenter of the earthquake. so, it will probably suffer the greatest effects. >> unbelievable. all right. well, we certainly appreciate your input this morning from golden, colorado. dale grant joining us from the u.s. geological survey. much appreciated. >> you're quite welcome. we'll be back with "america this morning." continuing coverage of the tragedy in japan. stay with us. -why? -why?? i love the sun. past sun goddess. every line has a story. [ female announcer ] we all age differently. now there's roc multi-correxion 4 zone moisturizer with roc®retinol and antioxidants.

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u.s. coast guard rescue crews right now are making preparations throughout the hawaiian islands and guam. we're ready to provide post-tsunami support. we have established an incident command post. and we're closely working closely with the federal emergency management agency, the state of hawaii, the department of transportation and the hawaii state civil defense. >> lieutenant, how often do you find yourself going through the motions with the protocols? we know hawaii is often subjected to tsunami warnings. the alarms have been sounded in honolulu. is this old hat for you? or is everybody taking it very seriously? >> we are taking it very seriously. and we do exercise the protocols often with our federal, state and local agencies. we feel like we are prepared. and we're making sure that the public heeds the warnings and we're taking all necessary precautions. >> the information that you're

getting in, i know this is a quickly-developing situation. but what is the likelihood that hawaii will feel some effects of this? perhaps deal with its own tsunami as the day progresses? >> we're hearing different reports. i can't say exactly what the implication is going to be. we're preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. >> you are in hawaii right now. explain to me what i would hear. i understand there's an alarm that people hear. what then are residents then expected to do? >> quite a few sirens are going on right now. i can hear them in my building. i'm in downtown honolulu right now, at the 14 district coast guard building. we have several notifications that have gone out to the public. we're urging them to get away from the shoreline. there's quite a few mountains and hills in this area. so, we're urging them to take safe refuge in those locations. >> and talk a little bit about, are folks heeding that warning? are people panicking by any chance? or are they taking this in stride? or are they listening to the warnings and the sirens going off? >> people are definitely listening and taking action to

heed these warnings. there are quite a few people on the streets that are gassing up their vehicles. getting supplies. ground. for higher ground. >> okay. lieutenant gene maestas. thank you for joining us this morning with the latest. we appreciate that. we want to get more information from mike fern right now from bloomberg. and i'm sorry, sir. can you tell me your location? >> i'm based here in tokyo. it's been 3 1/2 hours now since we were hit by the first quake. that was 8.9. we're still getting the aftershocks, this building, every 15 or 20 minutes or so, is shaking. we had a 7.1 aftershock. and if you look out of the windows of our offices, you can see fires burning in chiba, which is just down the road, including one, the cosmo oil refinery. people have been taken to hospital, injured there. all in all, according to the state broadcaster, we're hearing

that 18 people have been confirmed dead. ten of them in a tidal wave, a tsunami, a seven-meter wave crashing down in iwate prefecture. i was watching the pictures on nhk tv. they're washing mud and cars and even small houses away, as it came inland. and obviously, you've just been talking to people in hawaii. we've got a warning of a ten-meter tsunami, which could hit anywhere on the east coast of japan. >> a scary thought. and you're in tokyo, a few hundred miles away from where this earthquake actually struck. but you see damage there. and people are evacuating even in that area of japan, correct? >> that's right. we're in a very new building. it's on rollers. so, there was a huge amount of movement. but we were being told, get under your desks. but stay in the building. we couldn't -- you had to take the stairs to get out. the neighboring buildings were all evacuated into the park. the public transport system is shut down. we have 40 students at a

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breaking story. a massive earthquake has rocked japan, causing major damage. the northern part of the country has been hit. and it was a tsunami that swept away houses, buses, buildings. unbelievable footage. >> absolutely. tsunami warnings have been issued for hawaii and other parts of the pacific. a number of powerful aftershocks have taken buildings in tokyo and other buildings. sent people into the streets as folks are being evacuated. here, now, some of today's coverage from japan's nhk tv. >> let's go back to what happened about 20 minutes ago in our sendai newsroom. this is what it looked like earlier on. this is what miso looked like earlier in tokyo. earlier on. monitors falling off. cabinets falling. the tsunami has been engulfing -- engulfing the port.

you're seeing live footage of the tsunami engulfing the port area. we've been reporting earlier on, that the meteorological agency has issued a warning for tsunami six meters high. this is what's happening right as we speak. from our camera reporter in miyagi. and it looks -- it looks like the tsunami has engulfed several cities in miyagi prefecture. live footage of miyagi, as the tsunami has struck the area. the river.ngulfing farms, live footage of an inferno going pretty much out of control, with firefighters not being able to contain it in chiba prefecture,